Advertisement
Entries linking to briefly
brief (adj.)c. 1300, bref, "of short duration;" early 14c., "small with respect to length, short;" from Latin brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *mregh-wi-, from root *mregh-u- "short."
-ly (2)
common adverbial suffix, forming from adjectives adverbs signifying "in a manner denoted by" the adjective, Middle English, from Old English -lice, from Proto-Germanic *-liko- (cognates: Old Frisian -like, Old Saxon -liko, Dutch -lijk, Old High German -licho, German -lich, Old Norse -liga, Gothic -leiko); see -ly (1). Cognate with lich, and identical with like (adj.).
Weekley notes as "curious" that Germanic uses a word essentially meaning "body" for the adverbial formation, while Romanic uses one meaning "mind" (as in French constamment from Latin constanti mente). The modern English form emerged in late Middle English, probably from influence of Old Norse -liga.
Share briefly
‘cite’
Page URL:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly
HTML Link:
<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly">Etymology of briefly by etymonline</a>
APA style:
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of briefly. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly
Chicago style:
Harper Douglas, “Etymology of briefly,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly.
MLA style:
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of briefly.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly. Accessed $(datetimeMla).
IEEE style:
D. Harper. “Etymology of briefly.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/briefly (accessed $(datetime)).
Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of briefly
briefly (adv.)
for a short time;
was briefly associated with IBM
she visited him briefly
briefly (adv.)
in a concise manner; in a few words;
she replied briefly
briefly, we have a problem
